A Blythe Coach

Orienting to Your Place, Purpose & Vision

Do you feel a strong sense of personal direction, clarity about your purpose in life, and confidence that you are making the right moves to get there?

The A Blythe Coach Dance Through Any Difficulty Framework of Grounding, Centering, Orienting, Creating, Relating is woven into all of my coaching and teaching work and it helps my students and clients to build a strong foundation for growth and change management.

Recently I’ve been sharing a series of meditations to support the work, and so far have touched on Grounding, which is to do with foundation, focus, and our personal Essence, and Centering powerfully around our Purpose to create mobility and transformation. Later, Creating will have to do with living out our Mission or dharma, and Relating with sharing love, connecting with self, others, and spirit.

Now we take the step of Orienting towards our personal Vision.

Orienting in Place & Space

“Orienting is about knowing where you are in space, which helps you to create a connection with what is real in the present moment. To orient, look around the space that you are in. Use all of your senses to take in what you see, smell and hear the way a dog would when it first enters into a new space.”
-Jay Fields, Teaching People, Not Poses

Podcast 003: Finding an Oriented State of Being establishes an oriented state of being for yoga, dance & movement practices

Podcast 003 is the third part of a series about being present in the body, which is beneficial to our physical training, dancing, and quality of life. In the episode, I briefly discuss how to find a Oriented state of being, becoming present in the space in which we find ourselves and aware of the opportunities in the present moment.

Having found a grounded state supported by the floor below us, and a centered state connected to our core strength, the next stage is to get oriented, aware, and curious about our surroundings. Here we seek perspective, exploring different ways of seeing and learning about reality. We use the five senses to investigate, expanding our experience to include the world around us.

In The Living Gita, Sri Swami Satchidananda states that from a yogic perspective, “The body also in a way is outside you. The real you is just simply you–an isolated ‘I.’ All that you have or possess is part of the outside world, part of nature.” Therefore, we are capable of impartially observing the workings of the body and our surroundings, and then responding powerfully.

In yoga and dance, we look around the space, experimenting with positions of the body, levels, viewpoints, pathways, and means of moving and traveling. From the stability of the earth and a strong center, we are able to become mobile, reaching out into a larger experience of existence.

For more information about orienting the body in space in a movement context, you can refer to my The Body in Space – anatomical dimensions, planes, and posture article here.

Here we experiment with how things work, including the body and the objects around us. We experience trial and error, test hypotheses, and seek knowledge and wisdom through our experience. Here lie our raw materials, the stuff we will later use to convey grace, strength, and emotion.

Fields suggests, “As you hold the pose, look around the room and orient yourself to the present moment.” Simply notice what is so in your environment from a neutral standpoint. What is present? What is missing? (or absent) Only once this is established can we move with clarity toward what is next.

In yoga and dance class, practice observing the details of your perceptions and sensations. Don’t dwell on what you did wrong in the past or the anxieties you have for the future, but keep bringing yourself back to your experience of this moment.

What possibilities might being present in your body create?

Clarifying Vision & Mission

Then from a physically oriented place, the deeper work becomes identifying one’s Purpose, the gifts we are bringing to the party of life, our personal truth, beliefs, and values, then taking action, intentionally aligning our steps forward towards our Mission.

The tricky part is that Vision and Mission in the growth-centered coaching context are not to do with solving perceived problems, but are timeless and valuable even within our perfect world.

It is likely that living in a purposeful way will solve many problems, but that is not why we act like this, which is to be happy and fulfilled in the present, living what we know is possible. (Some religions, including Unitarian Universalism, describe a beloved community we are responsible for creating during this life on earth)

Now we focus in, Orienting towards our personal Vision.

Orienting Meditation

Podcast 087: Orienting to Your Purpose is the audio-only version of this content

The video version of the meditation for this stage is also available on YouTube:

The Orienting to Your Purpose & Vision Meditation YouTube Video takes you there

To skip ahead or come back to specific segments of the video, you can use the time stamps below.

_Time Stamps_

02:10 Manipura/Solar Plexus & Anahata/Heart Chakras and associations
04:34 Reflections for before and after meditation
05:13 Lovingkindness Meditation
07:46 Lovingkindness Meditation with music: “Whispering Stream” by E’s Jammy Jams
10:51 More Affirmations & Words of Power
11:32 Additional Questions for Reflection
12:05 Message me your answers to any of the questions you’re willing to share
12:32 Acknowledgement

Energetic Orientation

“The Sanskrit name for the heart chakra is Anahata, which means ‘unstruck, unhurt, unbeaten’ and gives a nod to the pure loving nature of the fourth chakra.”
Ambi Kavanagh, Chakras and Self Care (p.79)

I personally enjoy working with correspondences, making connections between desired states and how to foster them, working with our own subconscious intuition an universal principles.

In terms of Orienting within the energetic system of chakra philosophy, we utilize the connection between all Chakras. This stage looks at the flow of awareness throughout our body-mind-spirit, and in particular connection to our heart and deepest knowing.

The Orienting stage is associated with the Manipura or Solar Plexus and Anahata or Heart Chakras. We also explored the Solar Plexus Chakra a bit in the Centering Meditation, so now we’ll explore the insights and associations of the Heart Chakra.

Associations:

  • Body Region & Functions: Heart, Lungs, Arms, circulation, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, connection, capable of loving self and others, 
  • Element: Air
  • Color: Green
  • Stones to play with: Rose Quartz, Emerald, Chrysoprase, Morganite (p.81)
  • Oils to play with: Rose, Lavender, Jasmine, Neroli
  • Chamomile, rose, or lavender tea

Lovingkindness Meditation

Of course there are many meditations that can serve the work in this area. Today I’m sharing the practice of Lovingkindness, originally a Buddhist practice, which I learned from Sharon Salzberg. Different traditions and individuals use different wording, and I have tweaked what I learned in ways that suit me.

If you have your own words for this sentiment, you may repeat those, otherwise you can use my guiding words “May I, my beloveds, my associates, all beings, be health, peace, love, joy.” You could also choose to use a mala and coordinate repetition out loud or in your mind, paired with your breath OR meditate on your purpose and vision!

Oriented Affirmations & Stands

Some feel better able maintain a connection to their intention and oriented with a personal slogan, phrase, stand, affirmation or words of power. Choose what resonates with you or formulate your own, to repeat to yourself, post in a prominent place, create a reminder on your phone…create structures that serve you in aligning your actions to your vision and commitment.

Some examples that relate to orienting and the heart chakra:

  • “I feel” 
  • “We are all connected”
  • “My essence is love” 
  • “I operate from a foundation of love” 
  • “I am at peace with myself and others” 
  • “Love is flowing to and through me” 
  • “I radiate love” 
  • “The universe surrounds me with love” 
  • “I experience beauty everywhere I go”

Reflection Questions

Questions for Reflection to deepen your orienting work:

  • Do you love yourself and others? 
  • Can you forgive yourself and others? 
  • Do you feel at peace? 
  • Do you believe we are all connected? 
  • Can you see/feel the connection between yourself and others? 
  • How do you experience joy, and how would you like to cultivate more?
  • How will you stay present to your vision when life and it’s obstacles inevitably come up?

Well-Oriented Next Steps

Message me your answers to any of the questions above that you’re willing to share in celebration and accountability to living out your purpose and mission. Also send any questions you may have!

Join my email newsletter to keep abreast of my latest creations and resources on this and related topics.

For support in clarifying your Essence, Purpose, Vision, Mission, Survival Mechanism, and powerful next steps, sign up for a obligation-free Discovery Call with me. 

Some Sources

Accomplishment Coaching Coaches Training Program
Yoga Teacher Training with yogaloft
Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
Teaching People Not Poses by Mark Stevens
Chakras and Self Care by Ambi Kavanagh

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
she/her or they/them
Creator of A Blythe Coach @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties,
taking leaps of faith into fulfillment through coaching, yoga & dance education

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

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